We might soon see changes in the way sex education is taught in our public middle and high schools. This change could be similar to the style used by Planned Parenthood and being promoted by a group of officials in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI).
In the last year, the NCDPI has been working on changing the North Carolina Essential Standards. These rules, which cover sex education, are updated only once every ten years. The third and last version of these changes has been made public by NCDPI. In the next month, the final approval for the Standards will be given by the State Board of Education.
But a big problem has come up: the new version of the Standards breaks state law.
A law from 1995 in N.C. says that any teaching material must push for not having sex outside of marriage and should guide students on how to avoid or stop sexual activity. It should also teach them about the emotional and mental effects of having sex outside of marriage.
When it comes to birth control, the teaching must include honest information about how often they fail among young people and should stress that these methods only lower the risk, not get rid of it completely. Information about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) must include talks about how often pre-teens and teens in North Carolina get infected. The teaching should also cover the effects of each STD, including problems from getting HPV, like being unable to have children and cervical cancer. The program should also involve parents and teach that a faithful relationship within marriage is the best way to avoid STDs, including HIV/AIDS.
However, the third version of the Standards ignores these rules, which could harm our children, and the complaints against the new standards were numerous.
Well-known experts in the area have said that the Standards break state law. On Feb 6, 2024, Mary Anne Mosack, the head of Ascend and a nationally known expert on sex education, sent a letter to State Superintendent Catherine Truitt. In her letter, she wrote, “Of particular concern is the presentation of ‘risk avoidance’ and ‘risk reduction’ approaches presented as equal options on a continuum of acceptable choices and outcomes. The mixed message of this conflation does more to normalize sexual activity among adolescents and teens than to normalize the delay of sexual activity until marriage, which accurately reflects the intent of North Carolina law.”
In the same way, Dr. Stan Weed, a respected national expert on sex education, wrote a letter to Truitt. He wrote, “Established North Carolina state law provides several important standards which are clearly undermined by the proposed revisions...The draft language reveals a subtle but significant shift away from the original North Carolina law and guidelines and towards a so called “comprehensive sex education approach.”
NC lawmakers have also voiced their complaints about the standards in letters and phone calls to Truitt. Hundreds of N.C. people have publicly commented in favor of removing the parts that break state law. Members of the NC Values Coalition met twice in person with Truitt and her team, as well as multiple phone calls to discuss the problems in the proposed standards. Truitt said that the standards would be fixed to follow the law but so far, they haven’t. It is also important to note that during the recent Republican primary, Truitt lost to Michelle Morrow who brings a more conservative message to voters.
In conclusion, the suggested changes to the North Carolina Essential Standards for sex education have caused a lot of discussion. People seem to agree that the standards need to follow state law and that teaching abstinence is preferred. As the debate continues, the final decision will surely have a big effect on the education and health of North Carolina's young people.
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